Krissy Barrett, the newly appointed Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police (AFP), has announced significant initiatives aimed at combating extremism and addressing rising hate crimes in Australia. Her very first act following being sworn in to office was the creation of specialist National Security Investigations (NSI) teams based in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. More importantly, these teams work to address the increasing complexity of threats. They fight the fights that intersectionalize the next bad thing, against extremism and political violence, organized crime, foreign interference.
In a recent speech, Barrett made clear the urgent need to pivot to a new and evolving threat environment. Homel brought attention to the concerning increase in antisemitism attitudes across Australians. This surge is a homegrown issue — one that the nation must continue to confront. Barrett indicated that stronger, more inclusive amendments to current hate crime legislation will be needed to more effectively protect vulnerable communities from violence and hostility galore.
Barrett’s tenure comes on the heels of her predecessor Reece Kershaw’s departure amid reports of tensions regarding the handling of antisemitism investigations. Barrett’s resolve runs deep—a belief that prevention is better and disruption is welcome. His goal is to protect youth from being radicalized.
Specialized Teams to Combat Extremism
The creation of the NSI teams is a significant step in the AFP’s transformation to ensure a more holistic approach to national security. These conceptual units will prioritize investigation of high-harm activities that threaten social cohesion.
Barrett stated, “These teams will be dedicated to investigating and disrupting high-harm activity that threatens our social cohesion.” She sounded optimistic for these new efforts. In doing so, they will enable the AFP to respond more effectively to the growing and evolving threats faced by our nation.
Barrett assured that the NSI teams will keep track of old-fashioned terrorism suspects. They’ll address conduct and conduct that, absent the enough weaponization to be terrorism, nonetheless further violent extremism. “What we have seen in the shift in the operating environment over the past couple of years is behaviors, activities, that are not at the threshold of being a terrorist act but do have significant national security consequences,” she said.
We’ve brought in mandatory minimum sentences for certain offences, in particular gun crimes. This breakdown includes six years for terrorism-related acts and three years for financing terrorism. Furthermore, new laws now impose a minimum one-year sentence for displaying Nazi symbols, reflecting Barrett’s commitment to combatting hate crimes.
A Growing Concern for Parliamentarians
Barrett’s announcement further highlights the growing danger to parliamentarians in Australia. This is not just a few isolated instances, she said, noting a doubling of these targeted threats in the last three years. “We are most definitely seeing a doubling, roughly over the past three years, directed toward parliamentarians,” Barrett noted.
Barrett was acutely aware of the massive burden the recent electoral cycle placed on the AFP. They needed to keep elected officials safe in the wake of these changes. She stated, “Through the election period that was an enormous exercise for the AFP and a huge responsibility to protect parliamentarians and that was a success. The volume of threats remains concerning.”
Barrett’s emphasis on protecting our democratic institutions comes as extremist rhetoric has reached new and alarming heights. Her proactive approach seeks to address the risk before it occurs so that all Australians can feel confident in their democratic processes.
Legislative Framework Under Review
In addition to her media strategy, Barrett is assessing Australia’s legislative framework in terms of how it responds to hate crime and extremism more broadly. She added that knowing what policy levers are at play, where the opportunities to create new or amend existing legislation lie, is key. “Part of our approach to these National Security Investigations teams is looking at the national strategy, looking at where are the policy levers, where are potential opportunities for new legislation and or amended legislation,” she explained.
Barrett added that it’s important for the AFP not to work in silos when tackling these complicated issues. “What that means for us as an agency is we can’t operate in silos and we have to put our capability at the front of that,” she stated.
Her focus on collaboration and intelligence sharing reflects a broader understanding of the interconnected nature of modern threats, which require comprehensive responses from law enforcement agencies.
